


Black Forest

by Lokisgame



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Developing Friendships, F/M, Fluff and Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-08-01 14:15:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16286156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokisgame/pseuds/Lokisgame
Summary: "Tell me that's not what I think it is."





	Black Forest

"What did the dead man say?" Mulder chuckled as she walked in through the connecting doors. Looking away from the game, he noticed the small, cardboard box in her hands. "Tell me that's not what I think it is."  
His frown made Scully's cheeks grow warm. She aimed for casual, no big deal, just two friends, celebrating, but now hesitated, loosing steam not even 3 steps in.  
"I thought," she began, but faltered. "If you don't want it, I can take it back."  
Mulder sat up, slow on uptake after a day of interviewing the witnesses. "Wait, take what back?"  
"The cake," she explained, her gaze dropping to the box. "It's your birthday, isn't it?"  
Quick glanced at his watch, and a palm connected loudly with a very thick skull.  
"Call me crazy, it is."  
Something in that slap snapped her out of indecision and she reached out, offering the box. "You forgot?"  
"Apparently," he said, crawling over and kneeling on the bed, accepting the box along with her hands, "but you bought me cake?"  
Scully smiled sitting down on the edge and lifted the lid. "Happy Birthday."  
Heavy scent of chocolate and cherry liqueur made Mulder's mouth water, and he grinned with almost childlike joy.  
"Thank you, I just wish I had something to..." She produced a small, plastic fork, before he finished the thought, but his face fell slightly, anyway. "Just one?"  
Fanning out the other one, stacked behind the first, the grin came back, with reinforcements. "You don't have any plates hidden somewhere, do you?"  
"No, but I have napkins." She moved to get up, but he stopped her, gentle hand on her arm, sitting her back on the bed, where she sat.  
"Good, I like it better this way," he said, taking the fork and looking inside the box again, admiring the craftsmanship. "It's so pretty I almost don't want to ruin it." Scully laughed, folding one leg under herself to face him. "Are you sure we can eat this? I can smell booze from here, wouldn't it fall under drinking on the job?"  
"I won't tell anyone, if you won't," she teased back, waiting for him to start. "And we're eating, not drinking."  
"You rebel." Mulder grinned and stabbed the cake. Glistening, chocolate frosting yielded easily.  
It was a tiny thing, four modest slices at best, but as he took a bite, it was all he expected. Soft and rich, but not too sweet, dark chocolate balanced with just enough liquor to keep it going down smoothly.  
"Where did you find it?" He mumbled around a big bite.  
"I saw a bakery on my way to the station yesterday, it's all they had left."  
"It was waiting for us, Scully," he laughed, stuffing his face, "fate."  
"You like it?"  
"That's probably the best cake I ever had." He gave her a chocolate stained grin. "How did you know?"  
"You're not the only one who did his homework, partner."  
"I was something of an asshole when we first met," he sighed, playing with the next bite. "I'm sorry."  
"Should I quote your monograph, so we can call it even?" She joked, surprising him further.  
"Please, don't, not that." Mulder groaned, brightening. "Friends don't dig up each other's past."  
"Okay." She picked a chocolate leaf sticking out from the frosting, “and what’s the protocol for eating cake decorations?"  
"Share!" He tried to snatch it from her grasp, but Scully was faster.  
"Plenty to go around," she laughed, hiding the piece in her mouth where it broke with a satisfying crunch.  
"You can have them all." He conceded, stretching out on his side and taking the box with him.  
Scully toed off her shoes and made herself comfortable, sitting crosslegged on top of the covers. They shared the cake straight from the carton.  
"You really forgot your birthday?" she asked quietly after a long moment.  
"It happens," Mulder shrugged one shoulder, "I don't really dwell on the date."  
"No one called? Not even your parents?"  
"Maybe mom did, but she only calls my home number so probably left a message."  
"I'm sorry."  
"For what?" He watched her, licking the fork and looking the opposite of sad.  
"If it was my birthday, I'd be," she tailed off, picking another bite.  
"I'm used to it." He said, letting her leave the thought unfinished. His casual tone sounded sincere, which probably made her even more sad for him. "I have a few friends in DC, we'll probably go out to grab a beer or something, once I get back. You could join us, if you want."  
She didn’t answer, picked up another chocolate leaf.  
“What were your birthdays like?”  
“Normal, I guess." Mulder barked out a wry laugh, hand pausing half way between the box and his mouth. He'd probably die for her version of normal, and she was beginning to understand that. “I didn’t mean it like that," she said.  
“You sure?”  
“Yes.” Shoving the leaf into his mouth to shut him up. “We had cake and gifts, friends coming over, the usual stuff. My mom would make the cake and not even a smallest slice would make it till the morning after.”  
“Cake snatchers, huh? Sounds like an X-file.” That earned him a laugh.  
"No, just my dad."  
"Sounds nice." They both reached into the box, forks clashing in a little battle for the bigger bite. "What else, what was it like in college?"  
"My roommate threw me a surprise party once, just to break free from routine of studying."  
"Any embarrassing memories?"  
"None."  
"None?"  
"Zip." She looked from under her lashes, expecting him to fill in the gap. He did.  
"No way."  
"Yup." She giggled, picking a candied cherry by it's stem and popping it into her mouth.  
"Dana Scully, missing time." Mulder mused, impressed.  
"Not entirely an unexplained phenomena."  
"Yeah, but still."  
His tone made her bristle. "What?"  
"Noting, nothing." He backed off, hiding a smile behind the next bite of cake.  
"If you think I'm a goody two-shoes," she began, pointing her fork at him.  
"I don't!" He cried out, bed shaking from his laughter.  
"Yes you do," she narrowed her eyes, but there was no anger there, just banter. "And you're wrong."  
"You wanna play truth or dare?" He challenged, "I'm game."  
"No," that was typical Mulder, once his curiosity sparked, there was no going back, "we're not doing this."  
"Why not? C'mon Scully, it's my birthday, you have to play."  
"No, no, no," she chanted, hiding her face in her hands.  
"3 question and you can have the rest of the cake." His tone pleading, and it was her turn to laugh.  
"Don't you have me all figured out Mr. Profiler?"  
"It's a process, if you need to know."  
"I'm gonna regret this," she sighed, resigned, and took another bite. "Ask."  
He must have had a list somewhere, because his question came almost instantly. "When did you decide to become a doctor and what changed your mind."  
Amused by her surprise, but not at all mocking, he picked on the cake, waiting. Scully propped her chin on the heel of her palm, elbow resting on one knee, playing with crumbs at the bottom of the box, picking her words carefully.  
"I was fifteen, maybe, trying to please my dad, but by the end of college, it just didn't feel right. Maybe I saw too much death."  
He smiled warmly, not a trace of judgement. "Curious thing to say for a forensic pathologist."  
"Isn't it?" She smiled back, appreciating his gentle humor. "When people die of sickness, it's a fact, cause and effect. But when a person is murdered, the true cause needs to be found. Sure people are shot, poisoned, stabbed, but the real cause, the person with a motive, is out there and needs to be brought to justice. I think that puzzle is what made me chose law enforcement, as a way to still live and uphold the Hippocratic Oath, just not as a practicing doctor."  
"First do no harm."  
"The words aren't a part of the original greek text, but yes, I wanted to stop people from doing harm to others." Seeing that he was happy with her answer, she took her next bite. "Next?"  
"Let me think." Mulder stretched out, folded arms pillowing his head, feet dangling of the edge of the bed, chewing on the plastic fork as if it was a blade of grass.  
"After that thing with Tooms," he kept his eyes on the ceiling, tone deceptively casual, "when he went after you, invaded your home and everything, you never thought about quitting?"  
"No."  
"You could have taken Colton's offer, and even if not, apply for reassignment. You made quite an impression around the VCS."  
"I don't think I would like myself, if I did."  
"Why? You earned it."  
"They'd have me pushing papers in a few weeks, our cases are far more interesting." She knew she was stroking his ego, but it was his birthday, and it wasn't as if she was lying.  
Rolling onto his side, Mulder picked one of the last bites of the cake, his silence and smile glowing. Was it pride, gratitude or smug caveman reflex from staking claim on the prize, she didn't know, but she had a feeling, very few people went out of their way, to make Mulder feel appreciated, and she considered it a small favor between friends.  
"Last one, Mulder, the cake is almost gone."  
Playing with decorations, which she carefully avoided, he took extra care to not look her in the eye. It made her smile. She wasn't sure how much alcohol was in that small cake, but in a sudden rush of boldness, she stretched out beside him, a mirror image, waiting.  
"The guy," Mulder began, hesitation making its' first appearance of the evening, "the one you went out on a date with, when I stayed in Atlantic City."  
Ignoring the blush creeping back in, she kept her tone casual. "What about him."  
"Still not interested?" He risked a swift glance, ready to have his ass chewed out for overstepping, but found a gentle smile instead. Her instincts told her, that a little honesty went a long way.  
"No, and I'm not sure I ever was."  
Holding his gaze for a moment longer, she watched it change, from shy through relieved to silently content.  
"You can have the rest of the cake." She said, sitting up and feeling him do the same, as she searched for shoes with her feet.  
There really wasn't much left, but he offered anyway. "You sure? Take the chocolate leaves at least."  
"No, they're yours." She got up and, absently resting one hand on top of his head, gently smoothing out his hair, without even noticing what she'd done, until it was too late. Her fingers tingled, registering the soft texture, as she turned away.  
"Scully?"  
One hand on the doorknob and looking over her shoulder, she saw him smiling softly, white cardboard box cradled in his lap like a precious gift.  
"Thank you," he said quietly, meaning more than just cake.  
She matched his tone, embracing the new-found tenderness for this man.  
"Happy birthday, Mulder."

**Author's Note:**

> Happy B-day Mulder!!! And happy early b-day to my wonderful friend. Jamie, you are a gift, please accept these few words in return. Many happy returns!


End file.
